Uninvited Guests
by Phoenix Fangor
Summary: Destiny drops out of FTL and an incoming wormhole raises a number of questions for her crew. Doctor Rush/OC
1. Chapter 1

Title: Uninvited Guests

Genre: Drama  
Author: Phoenix Fangor  
Summary: Destiny drops out of FTL and an incoming wormhole raises a number of questions for her crew.  
Pairings: Rush/OC  
Rating: T

A big thank you to my beta readers TheSoliloquy and Anne McSommers.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides the plot, and Callista.

Destiny glided through FTL majestically. The ship hummed with a comfortable and lulling vibration. When the ship rocked momentarily, it was barely perceptible by most of the crew. Doctor Rush sat in the command center, researching the ancient systems, when he felt the ship's subtle change and the console next to him lit with red warning symbols. Moments later, the ship dropped out of FTL. He was startled to see the console glow with additional warnings of an incoming wormhole.

"Doctor Rush to Colonel Young," he said over the radio, his voice even.

"Young here," the Colonel replied.

"The wormhole is an incoming wormhole. It is very important you not send anyone or anything through."

"Affirmative," the Colonel replied.

Rush made his way quickly to the gate room, ignoring questions from many inquisitive crew members. Eli fell into step behind him, asking him questions.

"There is an incoming wormhole," he replied simply.

"That's weird," Eli commented.

"Quite."

They entered the gate room to see an open wormhole. Several marines were ready with firearms pointed towards the gate. From the bluish vertical pond emerged a young woman carrying a small back pack. She was petite, pale, and had mousy brown hair. She wore a girlish tee, modest jeans and sneakers.

Upon seeing the marines she stopped abruptly, holding her hands in the air in caution. Her eyes were wide with surprise and confusion.

"Who are you?" asked the Colonel, "Where did you come from?"

"Colonel Young?" she asked slowly, even more confused. "Everett? You don't recognize me?"

"No. Should I?" he said, bristling at the use of his name in such a casual way.

She looked around slowly. The wormhole suddenly closed behind her, and everyone jumped a little in surprise.

"Doctor Rush, you don't recognize me?" she asked, looking at the older scientist.

"No. Who are you? How did you initiate an incoming wormhole?" he asked sternly.

"Doctor Callista Young, assistant to Doctor Nicholas Rush, niece of Colonel Everett Young. I dialed the gate because I was bringing back some 'yams' for study," she said, fingering air quotes around the word yams.

"You were already off world? Who was with you?" the Colonel asked.

"What is this, some kind of mass psychosis? You're the one who sent us," she said. She put her right hand on her hip, and shifted her weight from one leg to the other, running her left hand through her matting hair. A ring on her left thumb caught the light and glinted.

"Where'd you get that ring?" Doctor Rush asked, gently grabbing her left wrist with his own left hand. This caught her attention more than any thing else thus far. Her eyes were wide with confusion and fear. She stood completely still, staring Doctor Rush in the eye for a long while.

"A friend," she breathed finally, "for good luck, and safe keeping."

"I see…" he said. He let go of her wrist and turned away. "She's from an alternate reality."

"I am?" she asked quietly.

"No one else has a ring like this, it was custom-made," he said quietly, just loud enough for her and the Colonel to hear.

"Then, how do I get back?" she asked. "How did I even get here? What about the rest of the team still on the planet? And why is the countdown red?" She pointed to the countdown clock on the wall, which read a little over 18 hours.

"That's bloody strange," Doctor Rush said, looking back at her.

"You, Doctor Young," the Colonel said, "What kind of assistant are you?"

"What do you mean? My qualifications? I'm a quantum physicist and a linguist. I wrote that Prometheus game puzzle," she said quickly, beginning to ramble. She began to fidget and it was clear that nerves were starting to get the better of her.

"Good. Help Doctor Rush and Eli fix the star gate so you can go home," Colonel Young said simply.

"Okay then…" she said reservedly but, when the Colonel gestured towards the control console on the far wall, she walked over, shrugged off her back pack and leaned over Doctor Rush's shoulder.

* * *

Doctor Rush had left to retrieve his notes from the command centre.

"So, Callie, does it get awkward with the Colonel being your uncle?" Eli asked.

"Oh, does it ever!" she said with a smile. "I'm stuck between his ego and Doctor Rush's, and sometime it's downright suffocating. Somehow they have managed though."

"They don't hate each other?"

"I get to play referee a lot. I'm that role between the extra brainy, who can explain it to the layman. Relieves some of the tension, I _think_…" she said thoughtfully.

"Are you really wearing his ring?" Eli asked quietly.

"How rude?" she gasped.

"Yes, how rude, indeed, Eli," Doctor Rush said, turning the corner with his notebook in hand.

"Found what you were looking for?" Callie asked Doctor Rush.

"Yes, I have. If we can access the gate controls deeply enough, we should be able to tap into the black hole we passed just before we dropped out of FTL."

"The black hole is what connected our two universes?" Callie asked. "That would explain that white hole we saw from the planet."

"You have white holes?" Eli asked quizzically.

"You don't? They just look like really big stars."

"Well, this is all really very fascinating, but a little assistance would be helpful," Doctor Rush snarked.

"Yes, well, I've gone into the controls only so far as to shut down the gate when Colonel Telford had it in his head to blow up the ship trying to dial Earth through the gate…" Callie sighed.

"Truly? That's bloody brilliant. Why didn't you say so?" Doctor Rush exclaimed, an edge of stress coming through.

"These controls are kind of different, that's why. It's like a different dialect of Ancient or something. I'm struggling to comprehend it all, to be perfectly honest," Callie said, shrugging.

* * *

Hours had passed with little progress. The crew was becoming restless, as the ominous red numbers continued to count down.

"Listen, Doctor Rush," Callista said, being as respectful as she could. She felt like she was starting all over with someone she had known for years. It was awkward and confusing, and she felt a bit she was walking on eggshells. "I'm feeling a bit dizzy…" she continued, "I'm just going to go down to the mess hall, and get something to eat. Do you want anything?"

"I can get stuff if you want," Eli offered.

Callista had been leaning on the console for quite some time, and when she pushed off, she stumbled a bit. Her equilibrium was off, and she could see her vision going black. "Help—" she yelped as she fell to the floor, passing out.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Uninvited Guests

Genre: Drama  
Author: Phoenix Fangor  
Summary: Destiny drops out of FTL and an incoming wormhole raises a number of questions for her crew.  
Pairings: Rush/OC  
Rating: T

A big thank you to my beta readers TheSoliloquy and Anne McSommers.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides the plot, and Callista.

The room was dark and cool when Callie woke to find herself in a bed, presumably in the med bay, or what passed for the med bay. She felt someone nearby sitting near her, so close she could hear his breathing. Stirring a bit, she tried to sit up and open her eyes. He helped her, gently, but not with his usual touch of concern.

"Callie, do you remember when I gave you this ring?"

"Yes…" she mumbled. She rubbed at her eyes, and tried to assess what had happened to her. She felt woozy, and her muscles ached all over.

"Tell me about it?"

"Now?" she asked.

He brushed some hair from her face and tucked it back behind her ear, and caressing her cheekbone in one fluid motion. She closed her eyes in response, and leaned into his hand. "Please?" he asked.

"I'll try," she smiled at him, her eyes still closed. She rested her head back onto the pillow. "When Destiny ran out of power, she dropped out of FTL. She changed course and began to slingshot towards a suitable planet for inhabitation. But you know all this…" She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I'd like to hear it from you," he prodded.

"Everyone was going to die and the weight of it pressed on you so much, I thought you would break. I did. You were there for me; sitting there in your quarters, two lonely loners seeking solace in each other's company. And you told me that you loved me, and that you were ashamed it had taken you so long to say it. Then you told me it was going to be alright…"

"_Why did I just say that?" Doctor Rush asked, as they sat in his quarters. "We're going to die, Callista. I'm so sorry. I don't know what to do…" He felt his resolve fail, and they sat together, just holding hands._

"_Maybe it will be alright…" she said brightly._

"_Death isn't pretty, my dear," his voice was morose._

"_No, I mean, a ship like Destiny doesn't just miscalculate a trajectory after millions of years of staying intact. She's flying into that sun for a reason... She's going to collect power!"_

"_Callista… we're running on reserve power to begin with, there's no telling if the shields will hold."_

"_Should we go do the calculations?" she offered weakly._

"_If we're going to die, I'd rather spend the last ten minutes of my life with you."_

"_Then kiss me."_

"And you did. Ten minutes later, everyone was pleasantly surprised to be alive with the ship's batteries relatively recharged."

"So when did I give you the ring?" he asked to no one in particular.

"You didn't. My Doctor Rush did, after I fell asleep at my console that afternoon. He slipped it on my thumb without so much as a word."

Doctor Rush looked ashamed of himself. "I can only imagine that you are quite a gift."

"Everyone touches our lives in different ways. Nicholas and I found support in each other long before the Icarus mission went so awry."

"Do you actually call him Nicholas?"

"No. Not to his face. I'm afraid he'd find it too personal. Despite all his feelings, he still keeps me at arm's length."

"You …" he paused and seemed to look unsure. He began again, his voice lower, "Perhaps you should, if only in private."

"I'll see." She yawned unexpectedly, and Doctor Rush excused himself.

* * *

Callista awoke to a bright light being shined in her eyes, and someone else holding her hand, rubbing their thumb over and over her thumb ring.

"Callie? Lass?" Dr. Rush prompted her, his tone was familiar and concerned, and most certainly the man she had grown to love. Lt. Johansen stood on the other side of her, checking her vital signs and IV.

"Doctor Rush, what happened? When did you get here?" she mumbled. She squeezed his hand in an effort to re-affirm his presence. This Doctor Rush wore his hair short, but it was an awkward mixture of salt and pepper and a brownish color, clearly dyed, and he was clean-shaven, but he wore similar clothing, a drab green tee-shirt with white sleeves and a tan vest, with jeans and loafers.

Dr. Rush looked up at Lt. Johansen, and then back to Callista, "Shortly after you collapsed. Lt. Johansen says you fainted. Low blood sugar combined with hemorrhaging from a miscarriage nearly killed you."

"Did you say mis…carriage?" she asked, drawing out the syllables.

"If you and Eli… or anyone else for that matter… why didn't you tell anyone?" She looked at him intently and his eyes asked another question, _"Why didn't you tell me?"_

"Dr. Rush, insecurity does not become you. And Eli? No," she struggled to keep her eyes open. "No one. No. One. That's not something you forget."

"No, it's not." Colonel Young said, walking towards the bed. "But if you were in someone else's body at the time, you wouldn't necessarily know."

Everyone in the room suddenly felt vulnerable at that revelation.

"I've only used the stones once…" she said, her voice was small and quiet.

"Then we know who, and when it happened," Doctor Rush said his voice cold and harsh. His grip was tight and uncomfortable as he stared past her at the wall.

"I'm going to be sick…" she said. Lt. Johansen gave her a bedpan just in time. She jerked her hand from his grip and grasped the container. She composed herself as best as she could, handing the pan to Lt. Johansen.

"How could Telford let this happen?" she asked.

"The most important question is whether it was forced?" Lt. Johansen offered.

"Indeed," Doctor Rush said.

"Agreed," Colonel Young said.

"I just want to go home…" Callista whimpered.

"I'm sorry, my dear. At the moment, our own reality is the best I can do," Doctor Rush said, kissing her hand gently. Callista's eyes fluttered closed.

"She shouldn't move for a few hours," Lt. Johansen warned, gathering her supplies and leaving the room.

"Get some rest, Doctor Young," Colonel Young said, following after Lt. Johansen.

"Thank you, Colonel," Doctor Rush said as the Colonel left.

Doctor Rush placed Callista's hand onto her chest and gently kissed her forehead before taking a seat and dozing off as well.

* * *

A few hours later, Doctor Rush helped a shaking Callista up and out of bed; T.J. had already helped her get dressed. Doctors Rush and Young made their way slowly to the gate room.

"You know, this reality's Doctor Rush asked me about the ring…" she said quietly, unsure of how he would take this news.

"Yes, I know. He confronted me about it," he said, trying to allay her fears. "He thinks you are too young for him… for me."

"Then he is the ageist man you used to be," she said with a smile, but her joke fell on deaf ears. Her Doctor Rush was lost in thought and the conversation died until they made it to the gate room.

The Doctor Rush native to this reality said, "We've been able to establish a wormhole back to the planet and reality you both came from. Eli's sent through a KINO, and they've been waiting to speak to you both." He handed the KINO's remote to her Doctor Rush. He tapped on the screen with one hand, his other arm firmly holding a still-shaky Callista.

Callie looked around, and motioned for Eli to help her. As she disengaged from the doctor, he spoke through the KINO.

"Doctor Rush to Sergeant Greer," he said.

"It is good to hear your voice, Sir. Did you find Doctor Young?" Greer asked.

"Yes, indeed. Permission to come through?"

"Permission granted, Sir."

He looked over at Callista, and while he had been communicating through the 'gate, Callista had gotten her pack on, and she was holding his pack for him. He shrugged it on, and waited for Callie to say goodbye.

"Thank you for taking care of her," he said to the Colonel.

"You'd have done the same," Colonel Young said sincerely.

"Callie," T.J. said, "In your pack you'll find a copy of the medical report, in case you need it."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

Doctors Rush and Young walked through the 'gate to their own reality, and waved at the KINO before shutting down the wormhole.

"Hey! They just stole one of our KINOs…" Eli said, clearly disappointed.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Uninvited Guests

Genre: Drama  
Author: Phoenix Fangor  
Summary: Destiny drops out of FTL and an incoming wormhole raises a number of questions for her crew.  
Pairings: Rush/OC  
Rating: T

A big thank you to my beta readers TheSoliloquy and Anne McSommers.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides the plot, and Callista.

It was a matter of a few minutes before Doctors Rush and Young were back on their own _Destiny._

Callista smiled and greeted everyone who wished it of her and Colonel Young made a speech in the mess hall. She knew she should be grateful, but she felt detached. She slipped out early, hoping no one would notice. She fell upon her bed with a "whump", and fell asleep.

She woke up a few hours later, long after everyone had gone to bed. She walked quietly down to the command center. There sat Doctor Rush, fast asleep, hunched over the consoles. She placed a hand gently on his shoulder and shook him a little, "Doctor Rush?"

"Callie?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.  
"I think you should go to bed."  
"I was just resting my eyes."  
"Liar."  
"Thank you for waking me, now I can get back to work. You should help me."  
"I should send you to bed, but I don't care to argue. What were you working on?"

She moved to the console next to him.

"The medical bay, the real one, it's not far from the gate room, but it's in need of repairs to the equipment."

"Why do we need a medical bay?" She turned to face him, and he did the same.

"Callista, Lass, you almost died. You needed a blood transfusion, one you very nearly did not receive. Without knowing that your blood type is O, they were quite at odds with what to do. If Colonel Young had not given you a transfusion, you would not be standing here. We need better facilities, and quickly."

"No, they would have given me a transfusion from the Colonel anyways, because type O is the universal donor." She held him by the shoulders and said, "Go get some sleep. You're no good to anyone if you're exhausted," she pleaded.

He shook his head, looking at nothing in particular, and especially not her, "I can't. I wouldn't be able to sleep anyways." He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck a bit. "See, all better! Thank you for waking me from my nap," he smiled at her, but his expression faltered when he looked at her; her eyes were misty and bloodshot, her shoulders were slumped. He took her hand in his own, and she was shaking. He checked her pulse and it was weak. "Callie, you're shaking. You should sit down, maybe even lie down." He guided her over to the bench seat on the wall, and sat down next to her. She rested her back against the wall for a moment, and then shifted and rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed.

"Callie? Are you going to pass out?"

"I'm okay..." she mumbled.

"You don't sound okay."

She sighed and embraced him, and she cried. "This isn't like me..." she sobbed.

"Being upset that someone hurt you, that someone _used_ you? No, that's very like you." He held her close, consoling her as best as he could.

"I feel a sense of loss..." she said, confused by the emotion.

"That's more natural than you know," he said listlessly.

After a while, Callie had cried herself to sleep on Doctor Rush's shoulder. He didn't dare try to carry her; he hadn't the strength, of which he was regretting just then.

"Callie," he whispered. She stirred, and looked up at him, her eyes still swollen and puffy.

"I must have fallen asleep... I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for, nothing at all. However, you should be getting to bed."

"And what about you?"

"I will be turning in as well," he said with a small smile.

Callie stood up, sniffling a bit. She yawned, and said, "Good night Doctor Rush. And thank you."

"Good night, Callie."

* * *

Callie awoke to someone shaking her shoulder, "Callie? Are you alright? Wake up, Callie."

She grunted in reply and shook off her unwanted guest.

"Callie, talk to me," Lt. Johansen said.

"I'm fine. Can I go back to sleep?" she mumbled.

"Are you sure? It's nearly noon."

Callie bolted upright, throwing off the covers. "What?" she squeaked.

"I said it's nearly noon," Lt. Johansen said with some amusement, as Callie took to making her bed. "Now, Callie, Doctor Rush informed me about what happened in the alternate reality."

"What? He did what?"

"When you didn't show up this morning, he was concerned."

"That's not his place!" she said vehemently. She flushed red, and stared daggers at T.J., but then her expression shifted to one of horror, "Who else knows?" she asked quietly.  
Lt. Johansen took a breath and paused for a moment. "I'm required to inform Colonel Young about medical issues like this."

"You haven't yet?" she asked hopefully.

"Not yet, no," Lt. Johansen assured her.

"Let me tell him, please."

"Alright, but you have to tell him today."

Callista and Tamara exchanged a long look, and Callie nodded. A range of emotions crossed her face as she stood there, staring at Lt. Johansen. "What do I do now?" she asked quietly.

"You talk to Colonel Young. It's his job to handle situations like this. And then you talk to someone about how you're feeling. You can talk to me if you need to. You could talk to Doctor Rush if you want to. Maybe you could talk to your aunt, or Colonel Young if you want."

"Talking sounds like a good idea, I guess."

"Come on then. Lunch is just starting," Lt. Johansen said, tossing a presumably clean tee-shirt at Callista.

As the door shut behind the lieutenant, Callista said, "Save me a seat!"

* * *

Callie hurried to catch up with T.J. but was stopped by someone calling her name.

"Callie?"

"Colonel Young?" she turned to see he was walking towards her.

"You slept in awfully late."

"Can we talk about this another time? I'm just about to eat lunch…"

"No, I just read Doctor Rush's report. We should talk now."

"Doctor Rush's report? He wrote a report? Since when does he write reports?"

"Callista… you can be angry at him later. Right now we need to handle this situation."

"That's your job. My job is to go eat, and then go assist Doctor Rush."

"Callie. I need to get some facts straight. Stop being so difficult! I'm on your side!"

He took her by the arm and tugged her into the nearest empty room. He shut the door behind them, and then faced Callie, gently holding her by the shoulders.

"Do not lie to me, Callista. Have you had any sort of sexual relationship while on this ship?"

"No."

"Not even with Doctor Rush?"

"While my relationship with Doctor Rush may be at times romantic, and admittedly unprofessional, it is not sexual in nature."

"Has anyone has sexual intercourse with you against your will that you can recall?"

"No."

"Then it was probably the communication stones—"

"Probably!"

"Callie, listen. We can't start pointing fingers just yet. We do this right, we get the facts, and we'll end this game of cat and mouse. But if we run to command and start pointing fingers and we are wrong, we bring way more trouble on ourselves than you'd imagine. I need you to talk to Wray."

"Wray? You never want anyone to talk to Wray."

"Getting the IOA involved isn't ideal, but I'm too involved with this. We need to do this by the book."

"You don't want egg on your face!"

"I have enough dirt of my own, Callista! I can't have my indiscretions mucking this up! You deserve better than to be dragged through the mud. I'm trying to help you avoid that."

She sighed, looking away. "Fine, I'll talk to Wray."

"Answer all her questions; all of them. Don't worry about anyone but yourself." He let her go, and opened the door.

She nodded curtly and they parted ways.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Uninvited Guests

Genre: Drama  
Author: Phoenix Fangor  
Summary: Destiny drops out of FTL and an incoming wormhole raises a number of questions for her crew.  
Pairings: Rush/OC  
Rating: T

A big thank you to my beta readers TheSoliloquy and Anne McSommers.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides the plot, and Callista.

When Callie found Camille Wray, she knocked gently on the door jam, because the door had been left open to Wray's quarter.

"Miss Wray, is this a good time?"

"Callista, come in. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Callista closed the door behind her, piquing Wray's interest and caution. Callista's explanation of what happened upset Wray quite a bit, so much so that she was flushed red in the face when Callista finished.

"You think it was Colonel Telford?"

"I cannot be sure, nor do I wish to implicate him explicitly, but he's been escalating in his attacks against my uncle."

"What else has he done to your uncle? I've not been informed of any transgressions."

"To start, he nearly killed Colonel Young by overtaxing his body. But Miss Wray… Colonel Telford told my aunt that Colonel Young was having an affair with one of the crew. He's been undercutting Colonel Young's decisions since the first communication. Last time I went to visit my aunt; I had to throw him out. I don't know what his agenda is, if it's his own, or if he's working for someone, but he's out to discredit Colonel Young in every fashion, and this would be another step of escalation."

"Callista, I'm going to do everything I can get to the bottom of this. One way or another, we'll find out what happened and it will be dealt with properly," Wray said straight faced and uncompassionate.

"That's all I can ask for, I suppose," Callie said.

Callie sighed heavily and left as quietly as she had come.

* * *

After having lost her appetite and skipping lunch, Callista found herself back in the command center. With another sigh, she sat down at her preferred console and began digging through files.

"Callie!" Eli said joyously. "I've been lookin' all over for you!"

"Eli, you startled me!" Callie said as she turned to face the young man. He stood in front of her with his pet KINO and usual smile.

"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly. "You startle pretty easy."

Callie gave him an awkward smile in reply. "So what did you need?"

"Well, you've been M.I.A. since you got back. I wanted to see if you were okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.

"When you were gone, Colonel Telford was acting strangely over your disappearing act. He demanded to see your medical files. It was weird, I'm telling you."

"Really? That does sound weird..." She didn't comment further as the KINO bobbed restlessly in the air, just next to her MP3 player. Eli sat down at a nearby console and started to work.

"Hey, Eli?" Callista said, snatching and turning off the KINO.

"Yeah?"

"Was there a KINO in the room when Colonel Telford was acting strangely?"

"Um… I think so. Let me bring up the feeds, I'll see what I can find."

"Thanks," she said before putting on her headphones and tuning out the world.

Hours dragged on, with Callie scrawling notes in notebooks, and reading intently. Her stomach growled for about the fifth, and she ignored it yet again.

"Callie? Your stomach is communicating with the outside world. Go eat something," Eli said loudly, above her music player.

She pulled out her ear buds and looked at him, confused about his over concern. "I'm really not that hungry, Eli. I don't know why my stomach is making such a fuss."

"Come on! It's dinnertime. Come down to the mess hall with me. At least keep me company."

"Sorry to be a killjoy, but I'm going to turn in early."

"Okay," Eli said, clearly confused by her avoidance.

* * *

Callie woke up sometime in the early morning and wandered to the control room. Once again she found Doctor Rush there as well.

"Nicholas isn't it a bit late?" she asked as she entered the room, sitting down at her console, picking up her ear buds.

"Callista," Doctor Rush nodded at her.

Suddenly there was a gunshot that startled them both. Callista jerked and she stared down the hallway. She looked at Nicholas with surprise.

She ran down the hall, and found Sergeant Spencer's quarters open. She walked in, and saw him there, shot in the temple. She turned away in horror, and found Doctor Rush was right behind her. He held her closely.

"Oh my God! He shot himself… Why would he do that?"

"You have to ask?" Doctor Rush said acerbically.

"Yes. I do," she said defiantly, pushing him away.

"Apparently, he left a suicide video," Doctor Rush said, gesturing towards the KINO.

"We should call for help!" She snagged the radio off Rush's belt clip and called for help. Meanwhile, he rewound the KINO.

"Callista, I've got it queued up."

"This isn't entertainment—" she said, but fell silent as the video started.

"_It's been about a week since I ran out of pills. I'm sorry I hurt Doctor Young. When I had sex with Doctor Wurdner, I was just… I don't know. But Callie almost died. I—I can't think. These people don't even realise they're inside a big floating coffin. I'm sorry. I wish I had something better to say."_

"What? That doesn't make any sense…" Callie sputtered.

"This afternoon… Wray spoke with Doctor Wurdner, through the communication stones. The doctor was forthcoming with the fact that she and Sergeant Spencer were intimate," Doctor Rush explained.

"And then what? How'd Spencer find out that I had a miscarriage?"

"I believe Colonel Young had a word with him."

"Oh no," she said. "Why didn't anyone tell me? Why didn't _you_ tell me?"

"You were asleep," Doctor Rush said simply.

She stared at him as several other members of the crew arrived.

"Why was he even allowed access to a gun?" Wray asked.

"He was a highly trained N.C.O..." Colonel Young started.

Wray angrily interrupted him, "No, he was unstable and you know it."

"... for duties that required him to be armed," Colonel Young finished.

"Oh, it was _required_ of him?" Wray asked.

"His psych eval indicated that he was coping."

"Lt. Johansen is not trained to be doing evaluations."

"The I.O.A. didn't complain when the evaluations were given. Nor did you disagree with the reports she gave. You had full access to those files!"

"He was having trouble sleeping…" Callista said absent-mindedly.

"Wray and the Colonel continued arguing, but the statement caught Lt. Johansen's attention.

"What?" T.J. asked.

"Um, I didn't get it, but he mentioned he was out of sleeping pills. I told him to talk to you, but that was the extent of our interaction. It was weird… In retrospect, it makes more sense."

"Why does that make more sense?" T.J. asked.

"What the K.I.N.O. footage…"

Doctor Rush placed his hand on Callie's shoulder reassuringly.

T.J. interrupted the colonel and Wray as she started the K.I.N.O. again.

"Callie, this is important, when did he say he ran out of his prescription?  
"Last week, maybe?"

"If he's been without sleep for a week or more, any extra stress would have easily precipitated a drastic reaction."

"You should have told Lt. Johansen right away!" Wray said.

Callie sputtered at the confrontation.

Doctor Rush squeezed Callie's shoulder and spoke for her, "What's done is done. There's no use in belaboring the past. Right now," Doctor Rush emphasized, "We should be assessing how to prevent this from happening again." He took Callista by the shoulder and led her from the room. A few steps from the room, they ran into Eli approaching the room.

"Eli," Rush said, catching him by the arm. "Don't go in there. Take Callista to her quarters, or to the observation deck."

Doctor Rush faced Callista, tipping her chin up gently, and looked her in the eye. "This is in no way your fault."

She nodded numbly as Eli led her away.

* * *

The ship dropped out of FTL a few days later.

"I want to be on the team for this mission," Callie said, as she sat down across from her uncle in the mess hall. Doctor Rush sat down next to her, looking at her quizzically.

"Absolutely not," Colonel Young said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Callista, you aren't in any shape to go anywhere," Doctor Rush reminded her.

"I feel fine."

"Regardless of how I feel on the matter, it's not up to me. You're not going anywhere until Lt. Johansen clears you for duty."

* * *

Doctor Rush and Doctor Young sat in the command center, studying the medical bay's system further.

"So why aren't you out there? You're usually the first one to volunteer for gate travel," Callista asked.

"Keeping you company, of course," Doctor Rush said, smiling at her.

"Oh, okay," she said sarcastically. "No, really?"

"Yes. Really."

"Well, Thanks."

"Doctor Rush, we've found something on the planet, an alien spacecraft of some sort. You're going to want to see this," Brody said over the radio.

"How long until we jump back into F.T.L.?" Doctor Rush asks over the radio.

"Just over two hours," Brody said.

"There goes my company…" Callista sighed.

"Sorry, Love," Doctor Rush said, pausing to kiss her on the forehead before dashing out.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Uninvited Guests

Genre: Drama  
Author: Phoenix Fangor  
Summary: Destiny drops out of FTL and an incoming wormhole raises a number of questions for her crew.  
Pairings: Rush/OC  
Rating: T

A big thank you to my beta readers TheSoliloquy and Anne McSommers.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides the plot, and Callista.

"Well, it's not Ancient. That much we figured out. The material, the design - it's completely different," Doctor Volker told Doctor Rush as they approached the massive sand-buried ship.

"It's not emitting any radiation or E.M. fields. It's basically dead," Doctor Caine added.

Doctor Volker handed Doctor Rush a scanner.

"Have you been inside?" Doctor Rush asked, walking past Doctor Volker, and towards the ship.

"We've located what looks like a hatch but we haven't figured out how to get in. We'll probably have to cut it open."

"How much time would that take?" Colonel Young asked.

"More than we have," Dr. Volker said morosely.

Colonel Young glanced as his watch, "We're pushing it as it is." He looked at Lt. James and said, "Lieutenant, let's pack it up."

"Yes, sir."

Dr. Rush continued to fiddle with the hatch, touching wires from the scanner to the hull. "No, just-just give me a couple of more minutes."

"A few minutes is gonna make a difference?" the Colonel asked, questioning the scientist's common sense.

"Well, it might."

"All right, I'm willing to push it if you are." Colonel Young motioned to Dr. Volker, "Take your team and head back to the Gate."

Dr. Volker looked passed the colonel at Dr. Rush, who was still prying at random crevices along the hatch.

"Are you sure?" Dr. Volker asks, directing his question towards the scrambling scientist.

Dr. Rush assures Dr. Volker they would be right behind them.

"There was more on that tape than you showed Callie, or anyone else for that matter," Colonel Young said once the others were out of earshot.

"Oh really? And what would that be, exactly, Colonel?" Dr. Rush asked, defensive, and acidic. He turned toward the colonel, and slowly began walking back towards him.

"How about your verbal abuse of Sergeant Spencer not 20 minutes before he killed himself?"

"You spoke with him as well, did you not? Half the crew heard that! What makes you so sure our conversation was different?"

"I'm his commanding officer!" the Colonel said harshly.

"Yes, and I'm her lover."

"Is that what this is about now? Defending her honor?"

"No. This is about defending her, which you so clearly failed to do. You aren't fit to lead this crew. You resigned your position as S.G. leader because you didn't want to make the hard decisions, the life and death decisions. Those people deserve better than you for a leader. Callista deserves better than you."

Dr. Rush suddenly felt pain radiating from his nose. He realized quickly that the Colonel had punched him, and with quite a bit of force. He raised his arms in defense as the Colonel punched him again, harder. Dr. Rush swung at the Colonel and hit him in the jaw. Dr. Rush was lying on the ground before he even realized the Colonel had punched him a third time. Instinctively, the Doctor clutched a rock, and swung it hard against the Colonel's head, as he lunges at him. The men rolled on the ground, struggling with each other furiously. The Colonel also grabbed a rock, and bashed it against the doctor's temple, stunning him. Firmly in control, the Colonel dragged the doctor to his feet.

"Are we done?"

"We'll _never_ be done," Doctor Rush said viciously.

Without warning, Colonel Young slammed his head into the Doctor's, and dropped him to the ground. He stood there for a moment, staring down at the man, contemplating what to do next. He glanced at his watch and realized he could not get back in time if he dragged the doctor with him. With a sigh of relief or perhaps resignation, of which he wasn't sure himself, he walked away.

* * *

In the control room, Callista checked the clock for the nth time and realized Doctor Rush and Colonel Young had yet to hear if everyone was back. The gate would be closing any minute. She abandoned what she was doing and went to the gate room.

As she entered the room, Lt. James and Dr. Volker and the others returned.

"Where's Doctor Rush and Colonel Young?" she asked Volker.

"Doctor Rush is still checking out the ship…" he said nervously. "They'll be along soon, I'm sure."

Callista gave Volker a long skeptical look.

"Rush said they'd be right behind us." Volker said more determinedly.

"But they aren't responding on the radio?"

"No…" he admitted.

"Lieutenant Scott, I want to go through. I'll hold the gate open."

"No. No way, it's too risky," Scott said, shaking his head. The ambient light from the gate played shadows across his face eerily.

"What, so you'd risk losing both your commanding officer, and your best scientist?" she goaded.

"She's got a point, Scott…" Eli said from the console.

"How much time until we jump back into F.T.L.?" Scott asked skeptically.

"Three minutes and counting," Brody announced.

"Do it," Scott ordered. The gate shut down moments later. As the chevrons locked, everyone cleared the immediate area.

Callista grabbed the necessary equipment from Volker, and ran through the open gate.

"I'm through! Shut it down!" she yelled into the radio. She jumped to the side of the platform, quickly dialing the _Destiny_. As she scanned the horizon, and there was no sign of movement. As the event horizon settled, she stuck her arm through.

"What's our time?" she asked over the radio.

"_45 seconds and counting."_

Callista ran through the different radio channels, trying to get a response.

As she flipped back to the original channel, the radio crackled, _"ten seconds until scheduled jump. Doctor Young, I hope this works a second time."_

"It's a safety mechanism… it has to work," she said. She silently counted the seconds as they ticked away. She closed her eyes and anticipated the possible dismemberment of her left forearm and hand, forcing herself to breath.

The time for automatic shutdown came and went and the wormhole seemed stable. Callista opened her eyes and gazed out over the sand dunes, see nothing but more sand.

"_Doctor Young, do you see them?"_

"No," she responded, "I will report back as soon as I see them, or in five minutes, whichever comes first." She set a timer on her watch.

"_Okay, we'll be waiting,"_ Lt. Scott said over the radio.

Callista stood as still as she could, breathing slow measured breaths, as she fought the clenching of her chest, and the fraying of her nerves. Her imagination ran wild with thoughts of her uncle and Nicholas injured and unconscious, just over the sand dune, or even as far as the alien spacecraft, three clicks away. She felt tears welling in her eyes.

"It's just sand in my eye…" she lied to herself. She closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing. Time seemed to stretch out. She felt like she'd been standing there for hours, but her watch had not produced a single sound.

Colonel Young ran up and over the far sand dune, alone.

"Callie!" he shouted, waving his arms a bit.

"Where's Doctor Rush!" she shouted back, concerned.

He shook his head as he continued to jog toward her. "There was a rock slide…" he said, short on breath, "Callie, I'm sorry. He's dead."

"No. No, no no. You go back and get his body… We have the time," her voice shook.

"He was buried alive in the rock slide," he said, looking past her, his voice was strong but hollow.

Her eyes widened in shock. "You're lying!" She stared him down as best she could. As he approached, she put a firm hand on his chest. "Go back, and get him, or I will strand us all three here together," she said, slowly pulling her arm out from the event horizon, incrementally.

"He was never good for you, Callie."

"I don't care!" she pushed on his chest as much as she could; the ring on her thumb caught her attention momentarily. The next thing she knew, she was tumbling on the deck of Destiny's gate room, being crushed by Colonel Young's body.

"NO!" she screamed, pushing him off of her. She scrambled to her feet and the event horizon was gone.

"Where's Rush?" Wray asked.

"He didn't make it," Callie heard her uncle say; "There was a rockslide."

Suddenly, the ship jumped back into F.T.L.


End file.
